


Under the Mask

by Null123



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cheryl is not a bitch and isn't known for it, F/F, Instead she's a geek who likes comics, Mary-Jane!Cheryl, Spider-Girl!Toni, They're cute in NYC, Toni is a geek who likes photography
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Null123/pseuds/Null123
Summary: Toni Topaz is crime fighting Spider-Girl who is just like every other high school teenager because she has a huge crush on Cheryl Blossom. From dealing with petty crimes and her math homework, Toni waits for the day that Cheryl looks in her direction and hopes it's not because she's a super hero.





	Under the Mask

Cheryl Blossom was the most popular girl at school, as if that wasn’t _obvious_. She and her twin brother Jason must’ve been sculpted by gods, at least in Toni Topaz’s opinion. She strutted down the halls with her best friends Veronica Lodge and Josie McCoy on either side, controlling every aspect of their high school in New York City.

There was something beautiful her cherry red hair that cascaded down her back and was always so flawless. Cheryl Blossom was _flawless,_ at least in Toni Topaz’s opinion. She always dressed to the nines, makeup always spectacular, grades never lower than an A-, and excelled at sports.

Toni had been practically enamored by the red-head since the first day of freshman year. It was the beginning of junior year and yet she still had not said so much as a “hello” to the popular girl. In Toni’s opinion, they were from two different worlds. Toni didn’t live in a lavish neighborhood nearby with her parents, instead she resided in a rather sketchy area with her uncle. Her grades were on the better side, though they could be better if she spent more time studying than patrolling the streets at night. Her clothes were mostly plaid and leather, only getting new clothes every once in a while. Maybe that was why she was so attracted to Cheryl because she was everything that Toni wished she was…and the fact Cheryl was so much more than she let other people think.

To spend most of high school pining after the most popular girl in school when you always went unnoticed and remained in the background seemed rather depressing, at least that’s what her best friend Sweet Pea told her. Most of the time, wherever Toni went Sweet Pea was a few feet behind her. Unlike her friendship with Fangs and Jughead, Sweet Pea had grown up in the apartment right next to her and had always been more of a brother than anything. Sweet Pea would often push her to talk to Cheryl, especially once he had discovered Toni’s big secret.

“But, think about it!” he had said. “If she knew you were Spider-Girl she’d literally want to marry you.”

“First of all, I was given specific instructions to _not_ tell anyone that. You only found out because you went through my closet,” Toni pointed out. “Second, I don’t want Cheryl to like me only because she knows I’m Spider-Girl…I want her to like me for me.”

“Photography geek and old literature loving Toni Topaz?”

“Exactly.”

Despite this being Toni’s request, she didn’t feel like Cheryl would ever like her for her. She barely even looked in Toni’s direction during their shared calculus class, she had her own social circle, her own life. Her own _world_ , one that Toni was eons away from every being a part of.

* * *

 

“You dropped this in the library today.”

Toni turned to see Cheryl holding a copy of _Great Expectations_ in her hand. Toni had been rushing to leave the library a few hours before, trying to stuff all of her belongings into her messenger bag hastily. She hadn’t even noticed that she had completely missed the opening in her bag and dropped the book on the floor.

“Oh, uh thanks,” Toni gulped, reaching out to the take the worn book from Cheryl’s hand. She noticed her perfectly manicured fingernails, not surprised that they were red.

“You know, I didn’t think there were any other cool people in this school who read Dickens,” Cheryl smiled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Students bustled by them on their way home, yet Cheryl somehow seemed to make all of those people fade away in front of Toni’s locker. Toni couldn’t focus on anyone other than her. Cheryl was a few inches taller than her, causing Toni to have to look up in order to look in her dark brown eyes.

“He’s one of my favorite authors,” Toni smiled slightly, gripping the door to her locker tightly for support. Was she actually talking to Cheryl right now? This must be a dream. “I really like Tale of Two Cities.”

“ _It was the best of times, it was the worst of times_. A classic. What other authors do you like?” Cheryl asked, leaning against the lockers next to her. “I’m really into John Steinbeck right now.”

“Well… I really like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway,” Toni said, eyes flickering behind Cheryl to see her friends looking on with shock. “Can’t go wrong with _Great Gatsby._ ”

“Wow, you really are one of the cool people,” Cheryl nodded, raising her eyebrows with surprise. “Maybe you can recommend me some new books to read sometime? I’m Cheryl, by the way.”

“I know,” Toni said abruptly, not missing a beat. “I mean…you’re kind of the most popular girl at school.”

Cheryl giggled, “You’re not wrong. What’s your name?”

“Toni, Toni Topaz,” Toni smiled, feeling embarrassment creep up on her. “I could definitely let you borrow some of my books.”

“I’d like that,” Cheryl smiled wider. “Listen, I have cheer practice in like twenty minutes and I haven’t even gotten to the locker-room. It was nice to meet you though. By the way, I love the pink hair.”

“You too,” Toni said, feeling rather thunderstruck as Cheryl turned and walked towards the gym.

Sweet Pea, Jughead, and Fangs had rushed to her the second Cheryl was out of ear shot. Sweet Pea grabbed two fistfuls of Toni’s top, demanding she explain every little detail that had just happened between she and Cheryl. Toni was still rather delirious from the exchange, Cheryl had called her _cool_. Even complimented her on her hair.

“Has hell frozen over? Did Toni Topaz finally talk to the ridiculously hot and out of our league Cheryl Blossom?” Sweet Pea asked, looking up at the heavens.

Toni wriggled from his grasp, “Chill out, she just liked my taste in books. Besides, I probably made an idiot out of myself.”

“Wow Toni, your love of old men writing romance books is finally paying off,” Fangs laughed, thumping her on the back with his hand.

* * *

 

It was nearing 11pm when Toni finally found herself able to catch a break and eat her dinner. She sat on top of the lamppost with her mask pushed up to her nose, stuffing the slice of pizza into her mouth. Being a superhero was hard work. Normally she would stay out until midnight patrolling the streets and stopping petty crimes. Tonight however, she was feeling tired and it was a slow night. The lamppost she was sitting on top of was a few blocks away from their public library, a desolate area where Toni could get some peace and quiet. Other than the occasional car that drove by, she was left to her thoughts.

Toni was biting into the crust when she heard the loud yell of someone nearby, followed by the sound of a struggle. She was pulling the mask over her face and chucking the pizza crust away from her seconds later, shooting a web onto a nearby building to swing towards the noise. She web slinged through the streets before arriving at the scene, spotting a man running off with a red leather purse clutched in his hand. Toni let go of the web and came flying down at him, feet landing on his back to send him crashing into the pavement. He stumbled and fell, face skidding along the asphalt as Toni shot a web at his hands. The purse had fallen a few feet in front of him, contents spilling out across the city street.

“Purse snatching is _so_ 1990’s,” Toni sighed, hopping off the back of the man. “You really need to get more creative with petty thefts.”

The man struggled to try to free himself from the web restraints, not knowing just how strong Toni’s webs were. Toni moved to pick up the purse, placing the lipstick and makeup back inside as she heard the sound of quick footsteps approach her. She was picking up a comic book to examine the issue when the footsteps had finally caught up to her.

“Did you really just? Who am I kidding, that was _amazing_!”

Toni turned her head to see Cheryl approaching her, panting from chasing the man. She froze slightly, forgetting for a moment that she was in her super suit and that Cheryl couldn’t see her face.

“Anything to help out the citizens of New York City,” Toni said, holding out the purse. “I see you like comics?”

“Oh that? It’s sort of my guilty pleasure,” Cheryl laughed, taking the purse. “If _anyone_ knew at school I’m sure they would think I’m some geek.”

“But you are,” Toni nodded, not feeling the nerves she had felt when talking to Cheryl a few weeks ago. Maybe it had to do with the mask.

“Yes, but I don’t want anyone else to know that,” Cheryl sighed. “I’ve seen you on YouTube a lot, you’re the _Spider-Girl_ that started appearing around the city a year ago.”

“In the flesh,” Toni smiled, but knew Cheryl couldn’t see it. “No autographs or pictures please.”

Cheryl giggled, “Thank you for getting my purse for me, though the purse itself is more expensive than what was in it.”

“No problem. Just doing my job,” Toni responded. “You should probably be carrying around pepper spray or something with you if you’re going to be walking around at night alone.”

“You’re right there. My place is a few blocks away, so I should be fine,” Cheryl said, checking her phone. “I lost track of time reading as always.”

“Need an escort?” Toni asked. “Or are you afraid of heights?”

“Are you asking if I want to sour on the back of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl?” Cheryl asked, a smirk teasing her lips. “I think I’m okay, but next time I see you I may have to take you up on that."

* * *

 

“You _what?_ ”

Toni reached across the lunch table and covered Sweet Pea’s mouth with her hand. Sweet Pea was notorious for being too loud when needing to keep secrets.

“Ok, this is not something I want the entire lunchroom to hear,” Toni sighed. “But yeah, I got her purse back and we talked but I wasn’t even nervous! The whole time I felt confident almost.”

“It must be the suit. She couldn’t see your face, maybe that was it,” Sweet Pea shrugged. “Do you think she knows you’re Spider-Girl?”

“We talked like _once_ a few weeks ago. I’m sure she doesn’t even remember my name,” Toni said, taking a bite of her sandwich. “I’m sure it’s fine. It was only one time.”

“If you say so,” Sweet Pea laughed.

“You know what’s funny? She’s the biggest nerd. She reads _Walking Dead_ ,” Toni exclaimed. “Like the comics!”

“ _Cheryl_? Are we talking about the same person?” Sweet Pea asked.

“Yes! She said if anyone at school found out that she would be labeled as one of us. A geek,” Toni said.

“So, Cheryl Blossom is more like us than we thought,” Sweet Pea said, turning to look at her lunch table only to see Cheryl looking right back at them.

* * *

 

“Is this your usual spot when you want to escape the terrors of high school?”

Toni looked up from her spot in the row of books to see Cheryl standing over her, smiling down slightly. Toni gulped and watched Cheryl sit down across from her on the floor, resting her hands on her knees.

“Yeah, too many people kind of gives me anxiety,” Toni admitted sheepishly. “What brings you to the science fiction section of the library?”

“I was just looking for another book and spotted you. Got any recommendations?” Cheryl asked.

Toni looked down at her book before holding it out to Cheryl, “This one.”

“ _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ ,” Cheryl said, reading out the title. “A nerdy book, huh?”

“You’ll like it,” Toni said, knowing of Cheryl’s interest in comic books. “And it’s not _nerdy_.”

“You’re a nerd,” Cheryl teased.

“A _geek_ and proudly one,” Toni pointed out. “You asked for a book suggestion, there you go.”

Cheryl smiled and touched Toni’s shoulder, “Thanks, Toni.”

Her hand lingered for a few seconds before she rose to her feet and hoisted her backpack over her shoulder. Toni felt a tingling sensation from where Cheryl had touched her that lingered until the girl walked away. Toni watched her leave, eyes flickering down her body and locking on her red hair. She gulped, wondering why she still felt nervous when talking to Cheryl but didn’t when she was behind her Spider-Girl suit.

* * *

 

“ _Toni, Toni, Toni!”_

Sweet Pea had caught her moments before she had left school grounds, yanking her off the sidewalk and into the grassy area outside the front entrance. Toni was slightly stunned and confused as he pulled her towards the large tree.

“Sweet Pea, _what_?” Toni asked, stabilizing herself.

“Cheryl was talking about you!” Sweet Pea said quickly.

“ _What_? What did she say?” Toni asked, stomach flipping.

“That she has a crush on _Spider-Girl!”_ he exclaimed. “Isn’t that awesome?! Cheryl likes you.”

Toni’s heart sank slightly, “She likes Spider-Girl Sweet Pea, not me. She doesn’t know I’m Spider-Girl.”

“Then tell her! Toni you finally got the girl you’ve been pining after for two years,” Sweet Pea said, spotting Cheryl across the courtyard. “Hey Ch-!”

Toni grabbed him in order to silence him, pushing behind the tree and out of Cheryl’s sight.

“No! Sweet Pea I kept telling you I don’t want her to like me because she knows my secret. If Cheryl likes Spider-Girl and not the girl behind the mask, then I’m not doing anything about it,” Toni said. “She probably just likes me because I got her purse back.”

“Whatever you say, Topaz,” Sweet Pea sighed. “You’re letting go the hottest girl at school.”

* * *

 

A clap of thunder echoed throughout the city streets as Toni crawled up the side of a brick apartment building. The rain was coming down like bullets, making Toni glad that her suit was waterproof. She had an important chemistry project due the next morning, but instead favored patrolling in the rain. Once she reached the top of the building, she looked over the edge to examine the streets below.

The people who walked along the streets had newspapers of umbrellas over their heads in attempts to shield themselves from the rain. Everything looked normal and calm, until Toni spotted a girl walking without an umbrella or any sort of object to protect her from the rain.

Toni jumped off the building and landed on the next one, trying to catch up to the girl as she walked. She webbed the fire escape to the building the girl was walking along, pulling herself upside down before lowering herself.

“Not even a rain jacket?” Toni asked, looking at Cheryl upside down.

Cheryl froze in place, turning to look at Toni hanging from the building. She smiled slightly, rain continuing to dampen her hair and come down on her cheeks and shoulders. Her top was absolutely soaked.

“Is it just me or do I have a superhero stalking me?” Cheryl asked, approaching Toni.

“I was in the neighborhood,” Toni shrugged.

Cheryl pushed the wet hair behind her ear, “Well you’re literally amazing.”

“Some people don’t think so,” Toni mentioned. “Glad to see I have a fan.”

“A fan? Do you see how many views your videos on YouTube get?” Cheryl giggled. “Are you going to let me give you a proper thank you from the first time you saved me?”

“What more could you say?” Toni asked.

Toni watched as Cheryl’s hands moved upwards towards Toni’s neck, causing the pink-haired girl to gasp in surprise.

“ _Wait,_ ” she said, causing Cheryl’s hands to still.

Cheryl took this as an opportunity to reach for Toni’s neck and slowly tug the mask over Toni’s chin and allowed it to rest on her nose. Toni wondered if she was going to continue to pull the rest of the mask off, but her thoughts were abruptly silenced as Cheryl leaned forward to kiss her. Though Toni was upside down their lips fit together easily, and they kissed slowly in the rain. Toni’s stomach flipped as she kissed the red-head, the girl she had been wanting to kiss since they met.

Cheryl kissed Toni deeply, tongue poking out to brush against Toni’s lips. She opened her mouth eagerly as Cheryl’s tongue slipped inside her mouth, Toni’s own slid along Cheryl’s as their tongues danced. Cheryl’s hands were cupping Toni’s face, holding her firmly around the ears. Toni’s head was swimming, feeling almost sad as Cheryl pulled away.

Cheryl smiled slightly, “You’re a good kisser, Toni Topaz.”

“ _What_?”

Toni let go of her web in shock and fell to the ground in a heap. She hurried to her feet and pulled the mask back over her mouth.

“You think I wouldn’t notice?” Cheryl asked, smirk still teasing at her lips.

“Wha-what? When did you figure it out?” Toni asked, pulling the mask over her face. “I’m literally so careful.”

“If you want to be more careful you may want to change your voice or your height. It’s kind of easy to spot you when you’re only 5’3” you know,” Cheryl pointed out.

“Oh…” Toni sighed, realizing how obvious. Cheryl was right, but that didn’t take away from how Toni felt about Cheryl liking her. “Look Cheryl, I know we just kissed and everything but, I don’t want you to like me because you know who I am.”

“If that’s what you’re worried about Toni, I’ve literally had a crush on you since I picked up your book in the library. Good literature really does me in,” Cheryl said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I only told half the school I had a crush on Spider-Girl to get your attention.”

Toni’s chest fluttered, “So you do like me?”

“Of course. The fact you’re the one keeping the streets safe is just a bonus,” Cheryl nodded, stepping closer. “Does that make you feel better?”

Toni nodded, “Yeah. It does.”

Cheryl reached out for Toni’s neck again, “Can I take this off now that way I can kiss you properly this time?”

Toni gulped, but allowed Cheryl to pull the mask off. Toni’s cascade of pink hair fell down her back and immediately started to get wet from the rain. She had never let anyone see her in her suit without her mask, not even Sweet Pea. Cheryl held the mask tightly in her hand before leaning down to press her lips to Toni once again.

Toni was more prepared this time, cupping Cheryl’s cheek as she bit down on her bottom lip. Cheryl’s lips were exactly like Toni imagined, full and soft. She kissed with passion and purpose, each kiss leaving Toni more and more breathless. Cheryl gripped the back of Toni’s neck tightly, not wanting to let go.

They didn’t break from their kiss for what felt like years, but the rain had finally soaked every part of Cheryl’s body and Toni’s face. Cheryl stepped back and held out the mask to Toni, blinking as rain droplets hit her face.

“Are you sure you don’t need an escort home this time?” Toni asked, putting her hair back up so she could pull the mask over her face.

“I think I could enjoy the ride home,” Cheryl smiled.

Toni beamed and turned around with her back to Cheryl, “Hop on and hold on as tight as you can. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't proof read this at all, so let me know if shit is wack or if i misspelt anything. i probably did.
> 
> leave a comment because I was inspired


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